


coffee break

by brandywine421



Category: Daredevil (TV), Iron Fist (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-09-26 11:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20388712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: Matt didn't make friends easily but he felt like he'd known Danny for years - like the first time he met Foggy. Not that he would ever -ever ever ever- admit that to Foggy.Danny was in a mood today - with Foggy it was whiskey nacho ice cream - but Danny smelled like Twizzlers and sadness and it meant it was intervention time.





	coffee break

**Author's Note:**

  * For [221Browncoat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/221Browncoat/gifts).

> **Prompt:**   
_Matt Murdock and Danny Rand are meeting for coffee when the place gets robbed._
> 
> *Lyric tag belongs to the song prompt 'My Blood' by Twenty One Pilots.
> 
> This is for 221Browncoat - I love Twenty One Pilots, Matt Murdock and Danny Rand so I had to jump on these - thanks for the amazing prompt, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!

_If you find yourself in a lion's den_  
_I'll jump right in and pull my pin_

Matt didn't have a lot of friends that outside of Hell's Kitchen but he visited Danny once a week (at least) they reconnected, hell, the only other standing appointment he managed consistently was church and he actually enjoyed visiting Danny.

He would stand on the corner and mentally thread up his courage to call a taxi, requesting a van instead of a car because exposure therapy had to go in steps. He really hated taxis, the sound, the smell, the hiss of pumped brakes. He thought he should have more of a problem with being trapped underwater or drowning but that would be too easy to avoid. He could stay away from the Harbor and puddles but he would never be able to avoid taxis in New York.

When Karen secured office space for the firm that wasn't attached to a deli or a gym (raw meat and sweat were not fun for his super-powered nose or their image), he found himself reaching out to the 'Defenders' to check in.

He wasn't sure if they were friends, but he didn't want to be 'that' asshole. So he'd bought a few rounds of drinks for Jessica and found her passed out on his couch a couple of times a month, and if he was lucky she made coffee the next day.

He'd dropped in on Luke a few times, stuck to beer and appreciated the music if not the conversation - Luke was fine, it was all the conversations he _overheard_ that made those visits less fun. Luke was in deep but he still had his head above water and Matt respected the guy too much to rush the inevitable. He'd figure it out, one way or the other.

Danny was the one he'd been most wary to visit at first but they got along unbelievably well. Without Matt's paralyzing panic of his undead ex-girlfriend weighing on his mind and with Danny's fast-tracked tragedy tally catching his maturity level up to his age; they were friends.

Matt didn't make friends easily but he felt like he'd known Danny for years - like the first time he met Foggy. Not that he would ever - _ever ever ever_ \- admit that to Foggy.

Foggy found out about the visits after month two and was eager to delegate clients near Danny's office to him. Matt was committed to being a better law partner this time and took every scrap of responsibility Foggy gave him even when it meant schmoozing with his clingy rich leftover clients.

He knew Danny would never admit it, but the guy was lonely. The more time Luke spent 'cleaning up Harlem', the less time he had to fight for justice with Danny. Colleen was still overseas chasing down her heritage with Misty and Claire, the _traitor_, and Danny didn't mention Ward so Matt didn't ask. Some things he didn't need to ask.

He made a point not to ask _anything_ unless Danny was in a mood - with Foggy it was whiskey nacho ice cream - but Danny smelled like Twizzlers and sadness today and it meant it was intervention time.

He ordered the sweetest drink on the menu for Danny and a large black coffee for himself before joining him at their regular table. "All right. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, everything's - "

He waited for Danny to remember that he could pick out lies.

"_Dammit_. It's nothing, though. Just - Luke blew me off again."

Matt nodded thoughtfully. "Did he blow you off for drinks or for an emergency?"

"Lunch, again. Six times in a row so I'm not making the offer anymore. It sucks," Danny sighed.

"Luke's just taking care of his city, I guarantee it's not personal."

"Feels personal."

Matt patted his hand across the table. "Dude." Danny huffed like he always did when Matt used his word. "He's as obsessed with Harlem as I am with Hell's Kitchen - he's handling it the only way he can. It's definitely a different tactic than my strategic assault and battery, whole different style, but same end goal, I think."

Danny coughed out a laugh. "Is that the official description on your CV?"

Matt paused. "What do you know about CV's, Mr. High School Dropout? You get that GED?"

"Hung it on the wall and everything, might even buy a frame for it one day," Danny replied and Matt high-fived him and was only a little off-center.

"That's great, you should have said something," Matt said.

He shrugged. "It's not like it means anything, they can't take the business from me just because I'm dumb."

Matt scoffed. "You're not dumb, you just didn't get a certificate for what you learned in K'un-Lun." He softened his tone. "I don't usually have to give you pep talks, buddy, what's really going on?"

Danny pushed his dessert coffee aside. "I feel like I'm the only one without a mission."

Matt winced. "That's not a bad thing."

"I **know** which is why I didn't want to say it out loud," Danny sighed. "You and Luke have, like, areas to watch over and know the people to look out for - Colleen's got her thing and doesn't want my help - "

"I thought she wanted you on call for backup," Matt frowned.

Danny waved dismissively. "She wants her power to be a surprise when she gets to the big boss or whatever. It's why I try to get in the tabloids at least once a week so they think the Iron Fist is here and not there."

Decoy duty wasn't fun for anyone.

"You're always welcome to take a shift or two for me," Matt offered.

"No thanks, nobody believes I'm you because I don't break enough bones. Jessica said I don't have enough swagger, she totally hurt my feelings."

He figured that was a paraphrased response from Jess but the real comment would have been harsher.

The bell on the door jingled roughly from a hurried group of customers and Matt let the subject drop until his hearing settled down from the unexpected rush of sound. The three guys were noisy with adrenaline and pulsing blood and probably didn't need caffeine.

_"Everybody freeze! This is a hold-out! Hold-Up - _fuck_, you - put your hands where I can see them!"_

Matt held out his hand and Danny paused, muscles tensing with adrenaline. "Teenagers. No live ammo, I think the guns are fake," he said under his breath.

"It's like 9 am, how much money do you expect to get? We've only been open an hour, like, do you want to come back later?" the cashier asked, no fear in her voice despite the pounding pulse of everyone in the small cafe.

Matt fit his fingers around the napkin dispenser and nodded to Danny when the gunman shifted to strike the girl. He nailed the kid in the cheek before he could make contact and sent a flutter of napkins into the air that threw off his 'radar' for a moment.

Not that he needed to worry as Danny spun through the air, taking one out with a punch and another out with a kick. He caught the one holding his cheek and pinned his arms behind him, shoving him against the counter.

The guns that clattered to the floor were unmistakably plastic and Matt knocked over his chair as he stood up, tripping one of the robbers on his way to the exit. He cleared his throat. "Have the police been called?"

"I tweeted them, but I'll call, too," one of the customers answered.

Matt didn't know you could text 911, or tweet. He'd have to ask Foggy.

He picked up his chair when he heard the sirens a few blocks away and Danny returned to the table with a freshly made chai tea and pushed the over-sweet coffee a few more inches away.

Matt gave him a thumbs up. "Feeling better?"

"You bought me the wrong drink on purpose," Danny muttered. "Not cool."

"You're a sad panda, I thought the sugar would help," Matt replied. Someone brought the napkin holder back and placed it on the table, patting Matt on the shoulder. "What move was that?"

"Oh, something I learned in Malaysia, doesn't work so much with real ninjas but looks great," Danny shrugged.

"You have to teach me, I feel like my dramatic flair's been lacking lately," Matt confessed.

Danny's laugh was bright and reassuring. "Well, I won't take any of your patrols but I'm down for some drama workshop."


End file.
